Mobile communication devices have evolved substantially in the last decade and this evolution has led in many cases to the elimination of the distinction between portable computers, such as PDAs, and telephone devices, such as cellular or cordless telephones. Users are capable of communicating through VoIP or cellular-enabled PDAs pretty much like they do using cellular or cordless telephones. Products such as the IPHONE® available from APPLE Corporation of Cupertino, California and the GALAXY® available from SAMSUNG Corporation of Seoul, South Korea have completely blurred the line that distinguishes between different types of devices. For the sake of simplicity reference will be made in many cases in the description to follow to “phone”, it being understood that the term encompasses all possible communication devices, including the ones referred to above.
The widespread use of phones has turned them into devices that are used in different environments, under very different conditions and when the user is engaged in a variety of activities. For instance, the same phone can be used at one time in a silent room, or in a noisy environment at a party, or outside under windy conditions. Moreover, phones are used when the user is engaged in other activities, with only one, or possibly no free hand to perform additional activities, such as pushing actual or virtual buttons on the phone.
One particularly challenging area relates to the recognition of the speech activities of the user, both for the purpose of improving the quality of communication, particularly in noisy environments, and for performing any other activity that is conditioned by the user's speech.
A need therefore exists for methods and apparatus that detect parameters related to a user's speech in a communication device, which parameters can be used to perform further processes inside the communication device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and relatively inexpensive way to exploit the touch screen provided in a communication device, to detect parameters associated with the speech of a user of the communication device.
It is another object of the invention to provide a communication device that is capable of detecting parameters associated with the speech of a user.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.